48°
Ryan Stephen Samsel, 37, of Bristol has been charged with assaulting a federal officer, obstructing law enforcement, and obstructing a legal proceeding, according to federal court documents unsealed Monday.
Footage from the riots captured Samsel -- who traveled to Washington D.C from Bristol Borough -- apparently leading a group of rioters toward the Capitol, documents say.
After toppling a police barricade leaving a female officer unconscious, Samsel reportedly helped her up and said, "We don’t have to hurt you. Why are you standing in our way?” according to court documents.
The officer blacked out later that day and was rushed to a nearby hospital, court documents show.
Samsel took off his jacket and turned what appeared to be a "Make America Great Again" hat backwards “in a manner that appears as if Samsel was preparing for a physical altercation,” court documents said.
He continued to the West Terrace with a group, where he apparently tried to pull a riot shield from another officer, court documents show. The video was widely spread on social media, leaving federal authorities with a clear description of Samsel.
Samsel, who lives with his aunt and uncle, was identified through a law enforcement database and is currently on parole for a 2016 assault conviction in Bucks County, authorities said.
A warrant was out for Samsel's arrest in connection with a separate assault that occurred in Riverside, New Jersey (Burlington County), court records show.
Samsel was the second Bucks County resident — and at least the 11th Pennsylvanian — in recent days to face criminal charges for rioting at the Capitol, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Teaneck and receive free news updates.
